How we handle your information

This policy explains how Untold Wildlife handles information when you visit the site, read stories, submit a form, sign up for the newsletter, or interact with embedded media.

Untold Wildlife is a volunteer-run publication focused on wildlife storytelling and conservation. We keep data collection to what is needed to run the site, measure readership, and respond to people who contact us.

We may collect information you choose to send us, such as your name, email address, message content, and any details included in a contact or contribution form.

If you subscribe to the newsletter, we collect the email address and any related signup details required to manage that subscription.

With your analytics consent, we also collect basic usage information about how readers move through the site so we can understand which stories are being read.

We use form submissions to reply to messages, review story contributions, and manage newsletter subscriptions.

We use analytics to understand traffic patterns, story readership, and whether people are engaging with long-form pieces in a meaningful way.

We do not sell personal information.

Our cookie notice lets you accept or reject optional analytics. Analytics stay off until you accept. You can withdraw consent at any time using Cookie settings in the footer.

We remember your choice in local storage (uw-consent-v1) for 180 days. Your reading theme (uw-reading-theme) is also saved when you choose it, until you clear browser storage.

If you accept analytics, story view timestamps (uw:view:*) are stored locally to avoid counting repeat views within 24 hours; these entries remain until you clear storage or reject analytics. Engagement markers (uw:qualified_read:*) last for the browser tab session. Rejecting analytics removes these story markers.

With your permission, Untold Wildlife uses Vercel Web Analytics and our own story engagement counters to understand readership. Vercel Web Analytics does not use cookies; we still include it in your analytics choice.

The site also records lightweight story engagement events when a reader spends time with an article and scrolls through it.

If external analytics or embedded media providers are used, they may collect their own usage information according to their own policies.

Some pages may include embedded video, social links, map services, newsletter infrastructure, or other third-party tools.

Those services can collect data when you load or interact with them, even if the interaction happens inside our pages.

Where practical, we prefer privacy-aware options, such as nocookie video embeds, but we cannot control third-party handling once you leave our site or load their code.

We keep information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected.

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards, but no online system can guarantee perfect security.

If data is no longer needed, we aim to remove it or archive it in a way that fits the purpose for which it was collected.

You can choose not to submit forms, unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time, and clear local browser storage if you want to reset analytics-related state.

If you want to ask about data we hold about you, or request a correction or removal, contact us at the email below.

For privacy questions, email info@untoldwildlife.org.

If you contact us about personal data, please include enough detail for us to identify the relevant message or subscription.